Machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Bi WOHLGEMUT-H. WIRE KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 577,906. Patented Mar.j2, 1897.

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Psi/Ii (No Model.) I '2' Sheets-Sheet; 2.

E. WOHLGEMUTH. WIRE KNITTING MACHINE No. 577,906. Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

TA'lEES Arnnr FFICE.

WIRE-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,906, dated March 2, 1897. .Applioation filed February 1, 1895. Serial No. 537,010. (No model.) Patented in Germany March 11, 1894,lTo. 78,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL WOHLGEMUTH, a subject of the King of Saxony, residing at Thum, Saxony, Germany, have invented certain new and useful 'Wire-Knitting Machines, (for which I have obtained a patent in Germany, No. 78,585, dated March 11, 1894,) of which the following is aspecification.

As the qualities of a metal wire are essentially different from those of any thread, it is found that metal Wire does not work well in kni tting-machines of the ordinary type unless they are specially prepared and arranged. Accordingly I have devised certain improvements in the lock apparatus and the feed devices of such machines, which improvements form the subject-matter of this invention and are herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 is aplan of the needle-beds and the lock apparatus, in which the parts are shown as if they were laid flat instead of being inclined upward toward each other in the manner indicated in Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a View of a piece of the work produced by myimproved apparatus. Fig. 3 is a detail hereinafter particularly referred to. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of the knitting-machine, showing my improved feed mechanism for the wire. Fig. 5 is a view of part of Fig. 4 and is taken in the direction of the arrow in Fig 4. Fig. 6 is an under side view of part of the frame N of Fig. 4 and of certain contiguous parts of the mechanism for feeding the wire.

Most knitting-machine locks comprise a system of three triangular cam-pieces, such as c, d, and c, or c, d, and 6. (Shown in Fig. 1.) These operate to move the needles endwise and are arranged upon two plates 5, (only one of these being shown in Fig. 1,) secured on the reciprocating slide or carriage a.

One part of the present invention relates more particularly to the two cams or needledrivers (Z d or e e, which, according to my invention, are movable under certain conditions relatively to the plates b, and also have one side doubly or reversely curved, so as to provide a recess orhollow 00, as shown clearly in the cams d and 6, whereas the customary shape of that side in such cams, is as shown by the dotted line f, on the triangle 6, Figs. 1 and 3.

The hollow or indentation at in the outline of the needle-driver permits the needle to move freely upward (that is to say, toward the middle of Fig. 1) immediately after the formation of the loop, as is seen by reference, for example, to the needles 4 and 5. These nee dles have formed a loop and the angle :0 of the cams has passed clear of them, so that they no longer restrain the mesh and therefore cannot tear it. With cams having a side shaped as indicated by the dotted line f tearing of the mesh has frequently resulted by reason of there being no such recess as m for the needle-head to rise into immediatelyafter formation of the loop.

The acting faces of the needle'drivers have a slope of about forty-five degrees to the line of travel of the carriage a, and there are always a number of needles affected by them. Now let it be assumed, for example, that the slide or carriage a is in motion toward the left hand of Fig. 1, that is to say, in the direction of the arrow thereon, and that the loop 7t has just been formed by the needle 3. The back needle 2 at this time will be just arriving at its lowest position under the action of the needle-driver e, and its predecessor, the needle 1, will have descended so far that the wire is caught thereby, but in consequence of the bending of the wire round this needle 1 the complete formation by drawing out of the loop 9 would be impossible with the ordinary form of cams, and the said loop would be ruptured if any attempt were made to draw the needle 2 still farther down by the needle-driver e, which is still moving in the direction of the arrow; but when the hollows as are adopted the next needle 3 is liberated, and the next loop 71 consequently slackens, so that material can then be drawn out for completing the loop g. Y

The needles are slightly drawn up by the tension of the loops above their lowest positions. Consequently the needle-drivers d or d, which in the motion of the slide a to the left of Fig. 1 are inoperative, would, if fixed, pull the needles singly back again or downward and thereby tear the already-finished meshes. To guard against this, the drivers are made adjustable by means comprising the screws 19, which work in the slots 19 of the plate 19, which slots are inclined, as shown in directions parallel to one face of each of the cams.

Supposing that the sliding carriage a moves in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, the needle-drivers cl and d are easily raised by the feet of the needles without putting any renewed strain on the loops; but if the neodle-feet, as appears, for example, at e engage with the slanting working edge of the needle-driver the driver would be pressed downward until the outwardly-moving bolthead l, secured to the needle-driver and projecting through diagonal slots, as shown, in the carriage, Figs. 1 and 4, abuts against an adjustable stop i. The stops '5 are adj ustably carried by the carriage a by means of a set screw, as shown, and are adapted to be adjusted diagonally, that is to say, parallel or in a line with the slots through which the bolts Z project. By adjusting the stopsi the length of the loops is easily regulated.

The automatic displacement, as desired, of the movable needle-drivers d d and e e is attained in the following manner: 4", Fig. 3, is the needle-foot which the needle-driver comes against in consequence of the movement of the lock. The arrow 71; represents the horizontal pressure of the needle against the driver; but the needle-driver cannot move in the direction of this pressure, which is resolved into the two components at and m, whereof m is absorbed by the screw 19, Fig. 1, and n, acting in a direction parallel with the direction of the slots p, is easily able to move the needledriver downward.

The wire unrolls from a spool E; but the meshes would not be of equal length unless the wire were properly held and fed to the knitting-machine during the formation of the mesh. To this end two conical rollers B and B Figs. 4 and 5, are employed, being mounted in a frame N, which is carried by the slide or carriage a. One roller, B is pressed against the other, B, by springs O and 0 Below these rollers is a guide D, adjustable by a screw D in a direction approximately parallel with the space between the rollers B B The rollers being rotated at a given speed it follows that if the feed takes place through the rollers at their smaller ends the length of the Wire fed will be less than if it be fed through between the larger ends of the rollers. The counterbalanced lever F holds the wire strained at each change of movement of the slide or carriage of the knitting-machine.

The entire feed apparatus accompanies the carriage a to and fro.

Rotation of the rolls B B is effected by a fixed toothed rack M, which is held over the whole needle-bed A and with which gear two equal spur-pinions G and G Fig. 6, which are secured to the larger wheels H H These wheels rotate alternately in one direction or in the opposite one, according to the direction of movement of the knitting-machine carriage relatively to the stationary rack M.

In order to obtain the necessary continuous motion of the rollers B B at all times when the machine is in work, the wheels G and H and G and II are carried on a slide I, Fig. 6, movable relatively to the plate N in a direction parallel with that of the travel of the carriage a. WVhen the feeding apparatus has almost reached either end of its course, the slide I comes incontact with one or other of two fixed stops 1, and the slide is displaced in such manner that the wheels H and K are disengaged and H is thrown into engagement with K and thereupon the carriage a reverses the direction of its motion and returns, while the wheels K and K continue in the original direction of rotation without any alteration, as previously, and consequently the feed of the wire to the needles by the rolls B and B remains constant in direction and is not reversed.

The one-and-one fabric (or what is ordinarily known as right-and-right) is produced or formed by the needles of the two opposite needle-beds, there being a wale u and another if, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and the fabric being especially distinguished by its elasticity.

I claim- 1. In a knitting-machine the combination with the main frame, of a reciprocating slide a, a frame N carried by the slide, conical rollers B B having convergent axes, the gear-wheels K K connected with the rollers, the reciprocating slide I and stops on the frame, gear-wheels G G H H on the slide, a fixed rack M on the frame and an adjustable wire-guide, all as specified.

2. In a knitting-machine the combination with a reciprocating slide a of a triangular cam concave at 00 in proximity to one of the angles a plate I) slotted as at p in a direction parallel with one of the faces of the triangular cam-screws p a projection Z and an adjustable stop i substantially as set forth.

3. In a knitting-machine the combination with the main frame, of a reciprocating slide a a plate I) slotted as at p the triangular cams d, d, e, 6, each concave as at x in proximity to one of its angles, the screws 19 projections Z and adjustable stops i all combined and arranged as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the main frame, of a reciprocating slide a, a frame N carried by the slide, conical rollers B B with convergent axes, gearwheels K K connected with the rollers, a reciprocatory slide I, steps I on the main frame, gear-wheels G G H H on the slide, a fixed rack M on the frame, a wire-guide D, a screw adjustment therefor, a feed-roller E, and a tension-roller on a counterbalanced lever F, substantially as set forth.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the main frame, of a reciprocating slide a, a frame N carried by the slide, conical In testimony whereof I have hereto set my rollers B B With convergent axes, gearhand in the presence of the two subscribing Wheels K K connected with the rollers, are- Witnesses.

ciprocatory slide I, stops 1 on the main frame, EMIL WOIILGEMUTH. 5 gear-Wheels G G H H on the slide, and a Witnesses:

fixed rack M on the frame, substantially as GAETANO AMADEI,

set forth. OTTO WERNER. 

